Fortitude - the new TV show you need to see

Michael Gambon plays a photographer who may have uncovered a secret in Fortitude.

Recommended ...

Fans of the original Danish crime series The Killing and other Scandi-noir shows of past years are directed towards Fortitude, the Norwegian-set drama with an international cast - Sofie Grabol, Christopher Eccleston, Michael Gambon, Stanley Tucci - which starts on New Zealand screens next week (Soho, Mondays, 9.30pm).

British series The Missing stars James Nesbitt and Frances O'Connor as the parents of a young child on a family holiday France.

Although the BBC drama is not based directly on recent events, the plot of The Missing echoes real-life cases such as that of Madeleine McCann.

"Whatever the BBC and the writers say, there are going to be parallels there in cases we have all heard about. It takes you right back there.

"And it does make you want to hug your own children to you," Nesbitt says.

The first episode of the eight-part drama screens on Sunday night (TV One, 9.35pm) straight after Broadchurch.

Returning ...

Three well-loved series return this week. First is the fifth series of Aussie family drama Offspring, on TV One at 8.40pm. The many twists and turns in the life of obstetrician Nina Proudman have provided wonderful viewing so far, but things took a tragic turn at the end of last season with the death of her boyfriend Patrick, just before the birth of their first child. The show picks up six months later.

Two Kiwis play key roles this season: Ido Drent returns in his role as Nina's psychologist Lawrence, and Ben Barrington guest stars as a construction project manager.

Also returning is gripping British series Ripper Street, which kicks off season three on Friday, 8.30pm, on UKTV. Starring Matthew Macfadyen, it opens with a cataclysmic event when 55 souls are lost to a locomotive disaster. Clues emerge from the debris of the crash to uncover long hidden deceits.

And finally, Two And A Half Men is back for its 12th and final season on Wednesday at 7pm on TV2. Alan and Walden continue their search for true love, contentment and the meaning of life.

* Follow TimeOut on Facebook

- TimeOut